Prince Charles: challenging yobs can 'get you stabbed'

Prince Charles today warned of the dangers of tackling anti-social behaviour when he suggested that just asking someone to pick up their litter could result in you 'getting stabbed'.

The heir to the throne was taking part in a discussion about the environment when he voiced the dilemma many people face today over whether to make a stand against rising criminality.

Charles was visiting the Regional Environmental Centre at Szentendre, on the outskirts of Budapest, where he joined students taking part in a 'deforestation workshop'.

Tutor Kliment Mindjou turned to the Prince and invited him to take part in the discussions by posing the question: 'You are alone in a forest and you see a person that leaves waste. Do you question their behaviour or try to avoid scandal [trouble]?'

The Prince replied: 'The difficult thing is to ask them to pick it up without getting stabbed.'

His comment comes in the wake of a series of high-profile murders of citizens simply doing their public duty.

These include father-of-three Garry Newlove, who was beaten after confronting a group of teenage vandals outside his Warrington home. His widow, Helen, has openly criticised irresponsible parents and political failings for the rise of anti-social behaviour in 'broken' Britain.

Prince Charles, flanked by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Hungary's President Laszlo Solyom, at the Regional Environmental Center in Hungary yesterday where he made the comments

Ernest Norton collapsed and died in front of his 17-year-old son in 2006 after remonstrating with youths who had shouted insults and thrown stone at them, while just last week David Askew, who suffered from severe learning difficulties, suffered a fatal heart attack after years of bullying and abuse from gangs.

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Garry Newlove, who was murdered after he challenged two youths outside his Cheshire home

Criminologist Dr David Green of social think tank Civitas backed Charles, saying: 'I think the Prince's comment will resonate with a great deal of people.

'Most people think twice nowadays about tackling anti-social behaviour due to what appears to be a breakdown of community and social solidarity.

'They fear that even gently remonstrating with an individual about a minor offence such as littering could result in them receiving a mouthful of abuse or even physical assault.

'And what has very much changed in recent years is the feeling that if you are on the receiving end of such behaviour, the police won't even back you up.'

Earlier in the day the prince and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, who are on a nine-day tour of former communist states in Central Europe, visited the Dohany Street Synagogue, the main seat of worship for Budapest's 90,000-strong Jewish population.

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, at the Memorial of the Hungarian Jewish Martyrs in the Main Synagogue of Budapest

Charles wore a specially made blue velvet skull cap embroidered with the Prince of Wales's Feathers as he and Camilla viewed the 19th century building.

The couple also laid stones as a mark of respect in front of a sculpture resembling a weeping willow, inscribed with the names of some of the 400,000 victims of the Nazi holocaust in Hungary.

The Duchess, who earlier in the week was forced to pull of out two engagements, is still suffering from a trapped nerve in her back.

She winced and struggled to lift a spade at a tree-planting ceremony and after carrying out a visit to meet local schoolchildren chose not to join her husband at two other pre-arranged functions.

Camilla, 62, told the Mail: 'It's such a pain and impossible to get comfortable - whether you are walking, sitting or lying down. The doctor has advised me to try and rest.'